Wrong Way Corrigan. Heard of him? Douglas Corrigan was a private pilot who, in 1938, flew from Brooklyn to Ireland, even though he had intended to fly to Long Beach, California! Hence the nickname. What does this have to do with Friday Follies, you may ask? Simple: Today the Grammar Cop will present some Wrong Word Boo-boos.

1. MONTREAL TIMES: “Complimented by her formal university education, as well as years of training and experience in the field of sex therapy, [her] reputation … has only grown.”
2. TENNISWORLDUSA.ORG: “… admits that the USTA wants to settle, but he doesn’t want to see his client short-changed with a menial compensation.”
3. THEANTIMEDIA.ORG: “Now, why is the United States and Israel even more so concerned about a deterrent?”

Corrections:

1. (By the way, in case you were wondering, the Montreal Times is another local weekly rag newspaper; it’s actually little more than an ad vehicle – good for lining birdcages… and finding FF bloopers.) Did you realize that the word “Complimented” should have been complemented? If so, 10 points for you! If not, no points for you! When you pay someone a “compliment,” you tell her, for example: “Oh look, you wrote a paragraph with no mistakes in it!” But the word needed here is complement, as in “Chianti is a nice complement to fava beans,” or “Good china and linen napkins complemented his meal.” 😉
2. “Menial” is the wrong word here. It should be minuscule. Menial means “lowly” as in: “He had no job qualifications, so he was reduced to menial work such as sweeping  floors.” Poor guy. Clearly that’s not the word for this job. We need minuscule, which means tiny.
3. The wrong word here is “is.” Why? Because the subject of this verb is plural, consisting of two countries: the United States, and Israel. The sentence should say, “Now, why are the United States and Israel…”  Oh, and I also don’t like the insertion of the word “so.” It’s not needed.

The Grammar Cop reminds you to “straighten up and fly right” – until the next time. Have a great week!